Though this is the third time Mamma Mia! has played Cincinnati this decade, the
show's fan base has likely expanded significantly, thanks to the successful film adaptation
that premiered last year. With the show still running strong on Broadway (it's now the
14th longest running musical ever on the Great White Way) and new interest based on the
movie, there's little doubt that the tour, which has been ongoing since 2000, will
continue to thrive. The current cast is talented and provides solid and worthwhile
performances of this fun and entertaining piece.

Mamma Mia! is a fairly simple
and straightforward story. Twenty-year-old Sophie is set to marry boyfriend Sky in her
Greek Island hometown. The bride-to-be has been raised by her mother Donna without knowing
who her father is. Donna is an independent spirit who gave up a career as the lead singer
in a female pop trio to settle down and run the island hotel. Sophie, after reading
entries in her mother's diary, sends wedding invitations to the three men who could
possibly be her dad. As the wedding day approaches, the three potential fathers arrive on
the island, as well as Donna's ex-bandmates, Tanya and Rosie. While Donna deals with the
stress of seeing these men from her past, Sophie attempts to determine which one is her
dad, so he can walk her down the aisle.

The book for Mamma Mia! is merely a
framework to show off the famous ABBA songs. The story by Catherine Johnson succeeds
greatly in providing almost non-stop humor via numerous sight gags, high camp, decent
one-liners and comical predicaments. The show never takes itself too seriously, so not a
lot is expected and most of the very funny moments land. Dialogue is cleverly mixed into
the songs to help clarify and ground many of the lyrics. However, some lines sound like
sitcom rejects and several plot holes exist. The overall storytelling is harmed further by
the lack of plot advancement by the songs, especially in the somewhat laborious first half
of act two.

It would be unfair to judge the tunes by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
by musical theater standards since they weren't written for this purpose. But the lyrics
do make many songs seem pigeonholed into the story and there is a heavy reliance on
accompanying dialogue to show the significance of the material within the book. Luckily,
the songs by the Andersson and Ulvaeus (with additional songs credited to Stig Anderson)
come quickly one after another, and their catchy melodies are a delight to the vast
majority of those in attendance. "Dancing Queen," "Our Last Summer," "The Winner Takes It
All," "The Name of the Game" and "Take A Chance On Me" are just some of the twenty-two
well known hits from the ABBA catalogue heard within the show.
Bill Congdon leads a nine-piece band in pumping out the appropriate and festive orchestrations provided by
Martin Koch.

As Donna, Michelle Dawson is a husky-voiced, tough-as-nails independent
woman and stressed out mother of the bride. Though she sings capably and makes many fine
acting choices, she lacks the spark that a leading performer in this caliber of show
should possess. Liana Hunt shines as Sophie, and gives the bride-to-be a well-grounded
earthy and frantic quality well-suited to the role. Rachel Tyler (Tonya) and Kittra Wynn
Coomer (Rosie) are hilarious as Donna's former all-girl band mates. While the male
characters here are less developed, Adam Jacobs (Sky), Michael Roberts McKee (Harry),
Martin Kildare (Bill) and John Hemphill (Sam) make the most out of the material they
have, especially in the comedic moments. The remaining members of the ensemble bring
dynamic energy to their performances.

Director Phyllida Lloyd deserves credit for
keeping an appropriately light tone and quick pace while also emphasizing the music and
silliness of the show. The choreography by Anthony Van Laast is suitable and enjoyable.

Mamma Mia! is designed surprisingly simplistically. Mark Thompson provides a
small yet serviceable two-piece set and other smaller props and modular pieces are altered
slightly to change the location of the island settings. The lighting by Howard Harrison
sometimes evokes the maritime locale and is bold and splashy during the performance
numbers. Thompson also supplies the festively campy costumes.

Mamma Mia! simply
strives to be a comedic showcase for the lively and catchy ABBA songs that make up its
score, and it succeeds wonderfully. Both the five-year-old seated to my left and the
fifty-something seated to my right obviously knew every song and loved every minute of it.
You probably will too. The show continues at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati through
July 19, 2009. To order tickets, please call (800) 294-1816.